Western Cape communities under siege

WESTERN Cape communities are reeling from the gun violence which has claimed the lives of at least 30 people in less than a week.  

The latest incident on Wednesday involved the brazen shooting of 10 people at the Nyanga taxi rank - two were killed and eight wounded.  

The incident came just hours after three bodies were found inside a silver VW Polo in a separate incident in Mitchell’s Plain. 

On Tuesday, a routine haircut turned into chaos in Heideveld when a man was shot in the back of his head. The same day, gun violence claimed two young lives aged 15 and 18, in Eerste River and Parkwood. 

At the weekend, Leiden residents were shocked to find the bodies of three men lying dead. In Khayelitsha fed-up residents allegedly decided to take justice into their hands when they assaulted to death two men accused of kidnapping, rape, and murder of a 22-year-old young woman. Also at the weekend, a 22-year-old woman was killed in Fishhoek in a suspected home robbery. 

About the Nyanga shooting, police confirmed several unidentified suspects randomly opened fire at a taxi, killing two women and wounding seven women and one man. 

“There are currently 10 people shot in total, of which two females were declared deceased on the scene due to injuries sustained. Seven other females and one male were treated for gunshot wounds by the emergency services and taken to nearby medical facilities for treatment. The motive for the shooting is still under investigation. Nyanga police registered two counts of murder and eight attempted murders for investigation,” said police spokesperson FC van Wyk said.  

The 10 were thought to be members or affiliated with the Cape Amalgamated Taxi Association (Cata), who were travelling to a meeting scheduled to take place near Cape Town International Airport, when three suspects emerged from a bakkie and began shooting at the taxi they were in.

Deputy provincial commissioner Major-General Luyanda Damoyi, who visited the scene, said that police suspect the shooting may be linked to internal conflicts within Cata. He said it appeared a high-calibre rifle was used, with at least 43 cartridges found at the scene.

“The information we have is that the victims are members of the Cata executive who were on their way to a meeting. We are still investigating the circumstances and the roles they played within the structure. We are very concerned about the ongoing violence in the province. Police are working hard to make arrests and recover illegal firearms. We are determined to stop this violence, but we need the community’s help with information.”

The Nyanga Community Policing Forum (CPF) secretary Dumisani Qwebe said the community was shocked and devastated. 

“People are in fear of their lives, it's a public area, the taxi rank, so they are in fear moving in and out of the terminus. The families of the deceased were on the scene, people were outside themselves crying, they were very devastated.”  

Qwebe called on government entities to work together and include communities when agreements were made with taxi owners. 

Western Cape Mobility MEC Isaac Sileku said the incident happened less than 24 hours after he visited the same site as part of a road user education initiative.

“This senseless act of violence has not only claimed the lives of two women but has also left several others hurt and traumatised. Violence of any kind, especially in spaces meant for safe public transport and daily commuting, cannot and will not be tolerated. We must work together to restore safety and dignity in our taxi ranks and the sector in general.”

GOOD councillor, Axolile Notywala said: “We cannot separate this violence from the deep structural inequality and poverty that define life on the Cape Flats. These are not isolated “incidents of crime”; they are the predictable outcomes of decades of social neglect of communities stripped of opportunity, left without safe housing, meaningful employment, or access to trauma and mental health support.”  

The ANC in the provincial legislature added that the crisis unfolding across the Western Cape was not only a policing issue.

“These killings require an urgent and extraordinary response from all spheres of government. The ANC calls on national government to declare a State of Disaster on Violence and Underdevelopment in the Western Cape. Such a declaration must be accompanied by a coordinated national intervention that combines policing, social development, job creation, and community development. It is time for targeted national investment in the so-called Cape Gang Fields, to restore peace and rebuild lives,” the ANC said. 

National Coloured Congress councillor, Anastatia Davids called for the City to do a full audit of all non-functioning CCTV cameras and street lighting in high-crime areas such as the Cape Flats, with "urgent repairs and constant monitoring". 

"This is not about politics; this is about lives. The people of the Cape Flats and across the Western Cape deserve to live without fear. The City must step up."

Additional reporting by Phiri Cawe 

Cape Times